The Nest is Empty!

Well there have been some recent developments with the baby birds under our deck. One of them fell out of the nest a few days ago, and didn't survive. By the time we realized the bird was out of the nest it was too late and it was already dead. Last night one of the other two baby birds ventured out of the nest and spent some time living in our garden. We were able to get the baby bird back into the nest, however neither of the two babies wanted to stay there and the nest is now empty. Hopefully they will find a way to survive on the ground, we will make sure to make a post if we see them again.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (* * * *)

I have posted my review of the new film Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Click here to read it.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (* * * *)

It was such a treat to see this movie! I know, that was lame but I couldn't help it. However, this was a really great movie, so I am giving it four stars. (Click here for Rating Information) I thought this film was just brilliant, there were so many great things that I already want to see it again.

As I review the movie I will be careful not to compare it to the 1971 version under the title, "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory", I think it's important that this movie stands alone. (Although read near to end to see some minor comparisons, just for fun) The film makers have also made it clear that this is not a re-make of the older movie, but that it is based solely upon the book. In fact, the screenwriter John August, had said he never saw the older version until he completed the screenplay. Also, I have never read the book by Roald Dahl so I am unable to make any comparison or accuracy regarding that.

With that said, anyone who doesn't want to be spoiled, as if you didn't know the story already, stop reading here and go straight to "The Bottom Line".

We begin the story with Willy sending out five golden tickets in Wonka Bars, each to provide a child entrance into his highly secretive candy making factory. Every child, as well as their parents, all over the world is fascinated about the factory and is doing everything possible to obtain one of the coveted tickets. Charlie Bucket is a child that comes from a poor home where he lives with his parents as well as both sets of his grandparents. Even with the small amount of money that Charlie and his family has, he dreams of being one of the lucky five to enter Willy Wonka's factory. Charlie receives a Wonka Bar for his birthday, as well as purchases one with long saved money from his Grandpa Joe, neither of them would yield a golden ticket. As the tickets are being found all over the world, Charlie begins to lose hope. However, upon finding a few dollars in a gutter, resumes his quest and finds the last of the golden tickets. But there is a secret waiting inside the factory, one of the lucky five will be given a gift by Mr. Wonka, something that is beyond imagination. As they tour the factory, there are many mishaps involving the children and finally Charlie is the only one left, he has won the prize. Mr. Wonka, who will soon be too old to run it, would like to give Charlie the chocolate factory. Charlie is excited about the prospect, but does not accept without some negotiations regarding his family to ensure that he can still spend time with them.

One of the great things about the story is that there is a lot of depth and many flashbacks into Willy's life. Because of this we understand why he and Charlie are the way they are. And if you thought Willy Wonka's teeth look weird in the trailers, there is a perfectly good explanation for it in the movie. There is so much depth to the story, why Willy started the chocolate factory, why he is weird and how he got the Oompa Loompa's to work for him, why Charlie and everyone else is so fascinated by the factory and why Willy sends out the golden tickets.

There is also some really good themes in the movie. Especially the theme of family, Charlie is willing to give up running the chocolate factory because he doesn't want to leave his family. Then Willy makes amends with his father with whom he has had a falling out. Each of the children who are invited into the factory also teaches us a lesson, greed and gluttony etc...

The acting in the movie is really great. Freddie Highmore is so good as Charlie, he has this great look of youthful innocence about him, immediately you take sides and feel for him. He is also really funny, and plays off Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka so well. After seeing the trailers I know that I am not the only one that was worried how Johnny Depp was playing Willy Wonka. Let me just tell you, he does a great job, you can stop worrying. Somehow Johnny Depp just makes it work. Christopher Lee plays Willy's father as well as the narrator of the film (Well sort of, you will see what I mean when you see it). The rest of the cast is great, each of the kids play the roles well, with special note is the performance of Jordan Fry as Mike Teavee. Jordan just stands out a little bit more than the rest and does a great job. There is also David Kelly as Grandpa Joe, Helena Bonham Carter and Charlie's Mom and Noah Taylor, as Charlie's Dad, each who does a great job.

Of course, from the opening credits to the closing credits, this movie has Tim Burton written all over it. It is bizarre and weird, but not as dark as most people anticipated it would be. I really loved that it was bizarre and weird, it just worked so well with this story. The directing and editing of the movie is great. There is so many great shots with regards to the characters, each character seems to have his own camera angle, it's very interesting. The sets were also very amazing and cool, with such vibrant colors that they really just jump off the screen.

The Bottom Line... Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a great movie, it is strange and bizarre but very funny and just really fun to watch. The acting and the directing are great, Johnny Depp pulls it off and makes the weirdness of Willy Wonka work. Tim Burton takes his vision and creativity to new heights. The music is good, and creates a very nice feel. I think the theme's especially regarding family, were great in this movie. The one minor complaint I have is that the Oompa Loompa songs were a little difficult to understand, although hilarious. I recommend this movie to everyone, this is so well made and even from the opening credits just has a great feel to it. The movie is paced well and you will not get bored. The movie is rated PG-13, I guess for being weird, but I wouldn't have a problem bringing younger children to it.

Comparison 1971 or 2005.

As I watched and reviewed the movie I was careful not to compare it to the original, but now that I have seen the film and completed my review, it's time.

Most of us watched Willy Wonka over and over again as we were kids. My age group, myself included, have a great love for the 1971 film. With great respect for that film, I do have to say that I like the new one better. Here's why;

First of all, the new film is paced so much better. I always found myself getting a little bored watching the original film, I know many of us out there recall fast forwarding the "Cheer Up Charlie" scene, because it just drags. I also liked the fact that it wasn't a musical, this is more personal preference than anything but I just thought it flowed better and there wasn't so much time taken dancing around and singing.

The new film explains the details of the story so much better, because of the flashbacks we get to understand what really makes Willy Wonka tick, and there is so much more detail regarding his motivation.

One of the things I absolutely loved about the original is the opening sequence. I know this sounds minor, but I remember every time I saw that sequence on TV I got excited to watch the movie. It was cool to watch the chocolate being made as the credits were shown. I think that Tim Burton paid his respects to the original with his opening sequence, although it's not as good, it is really cool. The one thing that was better about the new opening sequence is that you get to see Mr. Wonka placing the golden tickets on the bars of chocolate, I thought that was a nice touch.

With regard to the Oompa Loompa's, I think that the original movie did it better, although from what I understand the new movie is more true to the book. In both films the Oompa Loompa's sing a song after each kid leaves, the new songs are updated and each have their own unique style, which I liked. I also liked the background on how Willy found the Oompa Loompa's in the new movie.

Of course because of new technology the 2005 film is able to use special effects and make the world of the factory that much more creative. I really liked both the original and the new one with respect to the sets and environments, but the new one just has that touch of digital enhancement that makes things more vivid. Also helping with the environments was Tim Burtons creativity, that I thought was really unmatched when compared to the original.

Then there is the ultimate controversy, Johnny Depp or Gene Wilder. I think they were both great as Willy Wonka. I think that Gene Wilder's scene at the end where he yells at Charlie is so good, and he did most of it impromptu. But I think that Johnny Depp did a great job too, he was really good at being weird and I thought he was a lot more funny. On this one, I say it's a tie.

If you liked the original movie, go and see the new one, even if it's just to make a comparison. If you didn't like the original movie, go and see the new one, it's better. If you have read the book and either liked or disliked it, go and see the movie, then let me know how close it was. Anyway you look at it, get out and see this film, it's a great one.

Rating System Explained

One Star

These are movies I feel are "Not Good". This is the worst rating I can give a movie, there will be no Zero Star rated movies. This category is reserved for movies that I hated or even movies I didn't finish because I walked out before they were over. I highly doubt I will recommend a one star rated movie to anyone and the movie will probably be full of problems that I will be sure to point out.

Two Stars

This rating is for movies that were "Ok". It means that I didn't hate the movie, but that I am probably not going to recommend that anyone see it. Although there will be some occasions that I recommend a two star rated movie with the preface to not have high expectations. There may be several problems with the film that otherwise might have made it better.

Three Stars

Basically three stars is a "Good" movie, most of the movies I review will probably receive this rating. This is the rating that I give to movies that are average, they aren't really bad, but they aren't great, so they fit right in the middle. I may recommend some of these movies and I may not recommend some of them. There will probably be a lot I like about movies with three stars but there will also be a few problems with them as well.

Four Stars

Four stars is for movies that are "Very Good", this is really the highest rating I will be giving my movies. It is going to take a lot for a movie to get four stars, they will have to be near perfect with only one or two things that I didn't like or that are wrong with the movie. I will be recommending four star movies to most if not every person who reads my reviews.

Five Stars

This rating is reserved for movies that are "Excellent" and really I will only be giving it to movies that are my favorites. It is going to be difficult for a movie to get five stars, and especially after a single viewing, in which the majority of my reviews will come. However, see the "Change Policy" explained below. Five star rated movies will be movies that I recommend for pretty much everyone and movies, that as I see it, don't have any flaws or have so many great things about them that I can overlook the possible few and minor flaws.

Change Policy

I reserve the right to change my rating of any film that I review at any time. I had a hard time deciding that I should have this policy but know that my opinion of movies will change over time, and through more than one viewing. Therefore I decided that I can change my rating based upon subsequent viewings or some other form of enlightenment as it happens. I will be sure to explain my reasons for the change of rating based on each individual change. The ratings will not be changed based on others opinions, I am careful not to allow what others think of movies to influence my rating. This is most likely the way that movies will get a five star rating, after watching a film again I may determine that it's a favorite of mine and deserving of the coveted five star rating. In fact, the major reason for the change policy is to have the ability to upgrade a movie from four to five stars.

General Rating Information

As a general rule I am probably going to like most movies based on the fact that I just really enjoy watching movies. Most of the movies I review will get a three or average rating, It takes a lot for a movie to exceed my expectations or receive a four or five star rating. In turn it takes a lot for me to hate a movie as well, most of the time I go to see movies and initially I want to like them.

As with all film critics, any reader should find one that aligns well with their own views of movies. I hope that many people will align themselves with me and agree with my reviews. However, this is not going to happen all of the time, so I encourage everyone to leave comments and let me know what you thought of a particular movie.

Bird Update

The birds are doing well and starting to get a lot of feathers.  We see both of the Robin parents feeding the birds frequently, in fact we can't even get close because they are very protective.  We can hear the little birds chirping and are looking forward to seeing them learning to fly.  We are trying to give them as much space as we can, but we will try to get some pictures in a while and post them.

ICE, In Case of Emergency

I was just emailed an article that I read and thought was pretty good. So I thought I would share the idea with everyone. As more and more people are getting cell phones, the technology is being used in many new and interesting ways. Well, this new trend many people are doing with cell phones, could save your life.

The idea is I.C.E. This stands for In Case of Emergency. What people are doing is programming ICE into their cell phones and the corresponding number is an emergency contact for you. This will come in handy if you are injured in an accident, say a terrorist bombing, and maybe unconscious. A rescuer or someone near you could scroll through your phone and call the ICE number to let them know you are injured. Actually the citizens of London are all being asked to do this, so that rescue teams can easily contact a relative or friend. The Seattle Fire Department is already using it.

I thought this was a pretty good idea and programmed an ICE number into my phone. So if any of you find me unconscious one day, you know what to do.

It works two ways however, first we must program it into our phones and second we must check others phones in the event we come upon an accident. And also in order for it to work we must share it with others, which is what I am doing here, so feel free to pass along the article or my post to anyone you think would be interested.

If you would like to read the article click here.

Tour Update

For those of you who still aren't watching The Tour, but should be, here is a little update.  Lance is still in yellow although the standings have changed dramatically over the past week or so.  The overall standings have Lance just 38 seconds over a surprising performance by Mickael Rasmussen.  However Lances biggest challengers are all more than 2 Minutes away from him and probably his biggest rival this year Alexandre Vinokourov is more than 4 and a half Minutes behind.  Although don't discount Vinokourov, he had a bad day in the mountains but came back then next day and just wiped out all the competition.  The race is still really exciting and is barely half over.

The mountains have just begun and there is a lot of racing left to go.  Many of the racers have been dropped from the race entirely and much of the main group is struggling to keep up with the pace on the mountains.  There is still many opportunities for Lance to open the time gap, but there is still a lot of opportunities for his competition as well, let's hope he hasn't underestimated them this year.  There is still another Time Trial coming up and Lance is sure to have a good performance on that day. 

Tune in and check out the Tour.  Make sure to post your comments and/or projections of the Tour outcome.

I even have Brooke interested in the Tour now, and she doesn't like to watch sports much.  That is a testament of how fun this sport is to watch.

My Birthday!

Well yesterday was my birthday. Time is flying by, it's hard to believe that I am in my "upper 20's" now. I neglected to put my usual "Birthday" post regarding my own birthday, that seemed a little arrogant to me. However, I wanted to post today and say Thank You to all of those who wished me a Happy Birthday yesterday, and of course for all the great gifts.

Blake's Blog

Brooke's brother Blake has now joined the Blogging world. Go check out his new Blog here. You may notice some similarities, I guess great minds think alike.

New Bird

Carly, Kelsey and Blush, Carly's new pet bird, were able to come visit and have a sleepover this weekend. Blush and Jasper seemed to get along well, although Blush is definitely not as ornery as Jasper in his old age.

Snow at Snowbasin

I made it up to Snowbasin on Saturday to do some mountain biking. I thought I might run into some snow, but didn't expect as much as I saw. There is still a lot of snow up there. Mountain biking was great, for anyone interested I highly recommend it. For $12.00 they take you to the top of the mountain on the lifts and let you ride down. It's great, I rode 16 miles at an average speed of 10 MPH and a max of 27 MPH. Shocks are highly recommended. Click here for Snowbasins web site.

The Eggs Have Hatched!!!!

Well Robbie's eggs have hatched. We have 3 little baby Robins under our deck. Robbie has been very dilligent sitting on the nest and feeding the little birds. We will watch the progress and post more pictures as the feathers get thicker.

War of the Worlds

I have posted a review of the new movie War of the Worlds. Click here to check it out.

War of the Worlds (* * *)

War of the Worlds will definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Tom Cruise, well how can you go wrong. This is a good film with a lot of action and some great suspense. However the downfall of the movie is a lot of plot holes as well as some issues with leaving too much open without proper explanation. I am giving War of the Worlds 3 stars because it is a good movie, there is a lot of action, good acting, great music and some really cool effects. As always, spoilers follow.

The plot of the movie is very simple and because I don't recall much about the book (I read it a long time ago and am not really sure if I even finished it) I don't really know how true to the story the movie was. Tom Cruise, of course, plays the main character Ray Ferrier. Ray is a blue collar guy who lives in New Jersey, he is divorced from his wife Mary Ann played by Miranda Otto and has two children. It is assumed that he must have some sort of shared custody of his children Robbie and Rachel, played by Justin Chatwin and Dakota Fanning respectively, because they are sent to his house to stay for the weekend. Ray and his kids are forced to run from machines controlled by aliens set to destroy all of mankind. The focus of the story revolves around Ray and his kids as they run and fight for their lives trying to survive the extermination of earth. Robbie decides that he wants to join the military and fight for earths survival. Reluctantly Ray lets him go and continues to run with his daughter Rachel. The aliens are destroyed as they feed off the earth's water system, due to the fact that they have not built up an immunity to the bacteria that exists in the water. Surviving many attacks and lying low in a basement, Ray is able to make it to Boston to rendezvous with his ex-wife. As he arrives, he finds that Robbie has survived the attack and made it to Boston just ahead of him.

War of the Worlds does start off with a bang, it's only a few minutes into the movie that the action begins. Throughout the movie there is a lot of great alien attacking scenes and some really great suspenseful moments. There is really no let up in the action and the pacing is pretty good. There are a few scenes that do seem to drag, but overall it's not boring. The music done by John Williams (who does pretty much all the music for Steven Spielberg) is really good and sets the mood well, it also helps to emphasize the action and suspenseful scenes in the movie. The effects are excellent and also helps to bring realism to what is happening on screen.

There are some great tactics that Steven Spielberg uses to create suspense in the film. As a viewer you start by seeing a small portion of the machines that are doing the destruction and it's not until far into the movie that you actually see the aliens, this creates mystery and suspense regarding the enemy. Then there is the fact that Ray repeatedly leaves his kids to satisfy his curiosity or to do other things, and then the suspense really kicks in as you fear for the children to survive, not knowing where they are or what is happening to them.

The acting is good and we don't really expect anything less when we see Tom Cruise. Tom does a good job of playing the Blue Collar worker and even does good as the weekend Dad to his kids. There isn't really any cheesy lines that he has to deliver and don't worry his character isn't the "save the day" type, so there is very little of that. He is mostly a "run and hide" type of character. Dakota Fanning is, as usual, very good, she is young and yet has a brilliant acting resume. She does not disappoint and in fact does very well at acting frightened and screaming, she also is a character at the center of the small amount of comic relief. Tim Robbins makes almost a cameo appearance in the movie as a freaked out, paranoid man that allows Ray and Rachel to hide out in his basement. He does not have a lot of screen time, but plays the part well. Morgan Freeman doesn't make an appearance but does narrate portions of the film. But really the person I thought that did a really good job was Justin Chatwin as Robbie. He is virtually unknown as an actor and I don't recall seeing him in anything before. (He was in Taking Lives with Angelina Jolie, but I can't remember his part in that film very well.) Justin plays the angst ridden teenager set on really just making his father upset. Robbie is the character in the movie who has the biggest shift. As you might predict he does not get along with his Dad and in fact refuses to call him Dad in the beginning. As time progresses his character softens and you see him taking care of his sister and in the end showing respect for his father. Justin does a good job of playing this part and really had the most difficult character to play.

Now there are some major problems with the movie, and actually problems that I didn't expect with Spielberg directing. The biggest problem to the film was the fact that really not much is explained. People who have read the book or have heard the famous Orson Welles reading will most likely figure things out and not need much explanation. However, those of us who aren't as familiar with the story did struggle to understand the details. The first thing was the motivation for the aliens to destroy everyone on earth is not explained well at all. We do find out that the machines that the aliens use for destruction have been on earth for a long time, possibly millions of years, it's not really told how long. We also know through narration that earth seems to be a very desirable planet for anyone in the universe, (I guess we should be surprised that it hasn't been attacked before). But that's really all we know, we don't know where the aliens come from, why they can't live in peace with us and why their planet is so much less desirable than ours. We also never know what they intend to do with the planet once they have it taken over. They seem intent on destroying not just the inhabitants on earth but all we have built as well. We do see that they are creating some sort of organic, living plant created from human blood all over the planet, but we are never told what it is, or what it's for. Without much explanation as well is how the creatures die, we are told through narration that because they didn't have an immunity to the bacteria on earth that they are somehow poisoned or killed by it. There is really only one scene of them drinking water and it could be easily missed by a viewer as to how they really got the water into their system. I know this is a really lame and weak way for them to die, but it's part of the original story so they pretty much had to stick with it.

The movie comes in at under 2 hours and so I was disappointed that more explanation wasn't given. There was certainly time to do so, as well as several scenes that could have been cut shorter or extended to involve some explanation. There would have also been time to introduce and follow some supporting characters throughout the film, however we really only see what happens to Ray and his kids.

The movie is actually full of plot holes and continuity errors that are too large to overlook. Such as, after all electronic devices are rendered useless by the aliens, a man uses a video camera to film the destruction. It makes for a really cool and creative camera shot, but is a real continuity issue. Keep your eye out for it, this scene is not difficult to spot as well as several other continuity errors.

The Bottom Line...I really did like War of the Worlds, it was fun to watch and I was drawn into the suspense of the film. I like that it was paced quickly and I was truly on the edge of my seat throughout the movie. The acting, music and effects are great and really help to make the movie realistic and true. The downsides to the movie are little explanation regarding the complexities of the movie and a plot line that really only follows Ray and his kids. I was able to overlook the negatives and enjoy this movie, because of that I do recommend it because I think most viewers will enjoy it. I liked it enough that I will probably get the DVD and watch it again, especially if it has the original reading of the book by Orson Welles, which it is rumored to have. (A special side note on that is that as Orson Welles read the book over the radio, many people tuning in actually thought what was happening was real and it caused a panic around the nation. The movie was a little less convincing than that however.) War of the Worlds is rated PG-13, there are some disturbing images and violence, there is no sexual content and no problems with bad language.

Click here for showtimes.

Happy Birthday Brooke!

It's Brooke's 25th birthday today.  Happy Birthday!

 

Brooke's Belly

Brooke wanted to show off her new "figure".

Tour Update

For those of you who haven't been watching the Tour De France, here is a quick update.  It has already been a very eventful race, with just 5 stages down there is still time to tune in and get into the action. 

Currently Lance Armstrong is in the overall lead, just 55 seconds over his teammate George Hincapie in 2nd place.  Lance has done well but probably received the yellow jersey a few stages earlier than he had anticipated.  David Zabriskie, a Utah native, won the first stage and has done well hanging onto the yellow jersey.  That is, of course, until his dramatic fall yesterday just about a mile from the finish of the team time trial.  It was truly saddening to see, because he had been doing so well.  In a gesture to show respect to the yellow jersey as well as Zabriskie's success so far, Lance Armstrong did not wear the jersey at the start of the race today, it was only after the race officials asked him to put it on that he did so.  His comments regarding the incident were that he didn't want to win the yellow jersey by a crash, he wanted to earn it.

The sprinters have been putting on quite a show in these first flat stages of the tour.  There is a lot of speed and action near the finish line of each race.  At the end of Monday's race there was even a little "head butting" for room to pass.  Tom Boonen is currently in the lead with the sprinters green jersey and has won 2 stages so far, keep an eye on him to continue for sprint points and keep the lead. 

There is a lot more riding, crashes and action left to go in the tour and some exciting mountain stages ahead.  Make sure to check it out, the tour is broadcast on OLN pretty much 24 hours a day so if you have the channel it won't be too hard to catch it.

Independence Day

Happy Independence Day!!
I hope everyone got out and enjoyed the day. For must of us this most likely included Parade's, Carnivals, BBQ's, and Fireworks. Let's also remember the reason for this holiday and give thanks to those in the military as well as our ancestors who bravely fought and died for our freedom.

Freedom Blast

Brooke, Greg, Susan and I, went to the Freedom Blast in Salt Lake yesterday. It was really fun, we were able to see BMX/Skateboarders, Rollerbladers, (All Star Stunt Team) and a crazy high dive team. They had a really impressive ceremony with a 21 Gun Salute and F-16's flew over really low in a "Missing Man Formation". Then of course, we saw Kelly Clarkson and the fireworks. Kelly was actually pretty good (I am admittedly not a pop music fan), but I was impressed at how good she sounded at a stadium like that. She did sing to a "Backing Track", but you could tell that she could sing very well. She played a lot of her "rock" songs, which was good, but we had a bunch of little girls right behind us singing every line to every song. It was funny. The fireworks were well done, there was some technical difficulties so there was quite a while where the fireworks stopped. The All Star Stunt Team came out again to entertain until they could get the fireworks working again. It was a fun night.

Happy Canada Day

For many who do not know, July 1st is Canda Day. Happy Canada Day to all of you Canadians out there who might be reading.